Switch-thrower



.-(No-Model.)

S. HOENINGER. SWITCH THROWBR.

No. 537,039. Patented Apr. 9, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

SEBASTIAN HOENINGER, OF MILWAUKEEWISCONSIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,039, dated April 9, 1895.

Application Bled December 20, 1893. Serial No. 494,145- (No modell).

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SEBASTIAN HOENINGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Throwers 3 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact dscription thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical device for attachment to a street-car, whereby the driver or motorman of the same may throw switches without leaving the platform on which he rides; and said invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter specied with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my switch-throwing mechanism partly broken away and attached to a streetcar; Fig. 2, a partly sectional view of said mechanism illustrating a pair of spring-jaws embodied therein, and Fig. 3, a horizontal section vtaken on line 3 3 of the preceding igure; Fig. 4, a plan view of a switch and a horizontal section on line 4 4 of the first figure; Fig. 5,a horizontal section on line 5-.5 of the Iirst gure, and Fig. 6, a plan view of the handle portion of the aforesaid mech-V anism.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents the platform of a street-car and B the dash-board of the same. Bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the front of the dash-board are the flanged horizontal shanks b, c, of vertical sleeves C, D, that are connected by a plate E, and it is possible to cast the plate, the sleeves and their shanks in one piece. Loosely engaging the sleeves is a preferably jointed rod F having a curved blade G rigidly attached to its lower end, and surrounding the rod intermediate of said sleeves is aspiral spring H one end of the latter being fast to said rod and the other end likewise secured to the upper portion of the aforesaid plate. A handle I is made fastI to the upper end of the rod, and it is preferable to have this handle of the same curve'and set as the blade G above specified whereby the position of this blade at any time may be accurately determined by the operator from the car-platform. When a jointed rod is employed a pair of spring jaws J vrigidly secured to the upper section of said rod embrace the lower section of the same, and by this construction I provide for a yield of a blade G to possible obstructions in its path, or undue resistance of a switch point.

A lateral ear K on the plate E is provided 'with a notch for the engagement of a lug d on the rod F above specified in order to support this rod at its greatest elevation.

In practice the mechanism above specied is arranged on an ear so as to have the rod F in such position that the blade G may be operated to throw a pivoted switch point L,

said rod being pushed down against the reto the lower end of the lower guide-sleeve D forsaid rod. Upon the disengagement of the lug from the notch in the plate-ear there will be an automatic descent of the rod and blade until the latter is within a reasonable distance of a line of track-rails, as shown in Fig. l, the springH acting as a counter-balance to maintain said rod and blade in this position. When the car approaches a switch, that must be thrown the driver or motorman pushes down on theY rod against the resistance of the counter balancing spring, .and by means ofthe handle I turns said rod so as to have the blade G come in against the switch point L whereby the latter is automatically moved to the desired position as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 4, wherein full and dotted lines show the operation of said blade.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A switch thrower for attachment to street-cars, the same comprising a pair of vertical sleeves, a plate connecting the same, a rod loose in the sleeves, a blade attached to' the lower end of the rod, a spiral-spring on the rod connecting the latter and the plate,

ILO

a notched ear on the plate, and a lug on said rod for engagement with the notch in the plate-ear, substantially as set forth.

2. A switch-thrower for attachment to street-cars, the same comprising a pair of vertical sleeves joined by a plate having a notched ear, a jointed rod loose in the sleeves and provided with a lug for engagement with the plate-ear, spring-jaws fast on one section of the rod and embracing the other section of the same, a blade fast to the lower end of said rod, and a spiral-spring on the aforesaid rod connecting thelatter and said plate, sub stantially as set forth.

3. A switch thrower for attachment to S. I-IOENINGER.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, HENRY DANKERT. 

